Prevalence of early childhood caries and associated risk factors

Background: Early childhood caries is a bacterial disease that occurs in children under 71 months of age, with a prevalence of up to 90 in highly vulnerable populations. Objective: Evaluation of the prevalence of caries and its risk factors in patients under 48 months of age and the relationship between risk factors and caries. Materials and Methods: descriptive and cross-sectional study which included 63 children, without distinction of gender, between 9 and 48 months of age (average 26.8 months). We used a questionnaire in which risk factors were annotated; clinical examination was performed, recording oral hygiene by the O’Leary index and the prevalence of the dental caries with def-t proposed by WHO, with the modification of the decay component using the Pitts and Fyffe scale. Results: Caries prevalence was 35%, the def-t mean was 1.0 (± 1.86). The white spot lesion was present in 73% of caries cases. No significant association was observed between caries prevalence and frequency or quality of oral hygiene, cariogenicity of the diet, or the use of fluoride in caries prevention. Data was analyzed by means using the chi-square test. Conclusion: due to the high prevalence of white spots, is necessary to create prevention programs that educate mothers or caregivers about the caries risk factors and its control, promoting self-care as a preven- tion strategy